Officials with Mercury Marine have announced that 200 additional jobs will be coming to the company’s Fond du Lac facilities over the next five years. The company will be moving its MerCruiser engine and drive assembly operations to the state, following a similar announcement last September to re-locate castings and machine operations from Stillwater, Oklahoma.
A bitter battle concluded just under a year ago led to the consolidation of Mercury’s castings and machine operations in Wisconsin. Company spokesman Steve Fleming says the decision was made after the company determined it would be best to put all operations under one roof, and the move will only strengthen the company’s position in the market.
Governor Doyle suggested in a press release that those jobs could have gone to Mexico and Fleming says that Mercury was considering several locations for the 200 jobs.
State Senator Randy Hopper, who had a role in last summer’s consolidation talks, says it’s good news for manufacturing in the state.
Mercury is also receiving $5 million in performance-based incentives from the state for adding those jobs over the next five years.